In high school, I took a "zero period" Chorus class because I kind of liked to sing, and I thought it would help me get into college. I don't think the latter was true. Also, when my alarm went off at 6:45am (the class started at 7:30am), I cried. Every day. Now there's research to back up my late-sleeper-itis. It has to do with circadian rhythms and your internal body clock during puberty, but the takeaway is this: Teenagers need to sleep a little later. It helps them if you push back school start time by half an hour. There is proof of this fact.
Rejoice! Because seriously, as hard as I try, I just can't be a morning person.
What about you?
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I've heard this before. I teach elementary school and within our county, high schools start first in the morning. Conversely, elementary schools don't start until around 9 a.m. This defies what is best for the really little ones, too. As for high schoolers starting early, they say it's to help train them to get up early for the job world, but it's contradictory to what research says is best for that age group. But for now, it looks like sleeping late is not in the cards for teenagers :)
Sleep is SO important. But, I am a morning person and always have been. I wake up naturally around 4:45/5:00am during the school year and 5:45 during the summer. BUT, I get to bed by 9:00pm so I get my 8 hours!
I was an incredibly early morning person for years but time is catching up with me. Sleep is a good thing.
I have always thought starting HS classes later would be sensible but it gets in the way of after-school jobs and sports practices. Teen athletes are already looking at days ending at 11 or later with an 8 AM start of school. No one wins in our small school district. Because we don't want to send the buses out twice, HS starts earlier than is optimal and Elem kids have longer days than is optimal.
I took a zero period French IV class senior year--total disaster! I am sooo not a morning person, in fact, I'm slumped over my desk as I type this at 8AM-- 9AM is way more my style!
I also took a zero hour class in high school, and between that, after-school activities, a part-time job, homework and a social life, it's a wonder if I got any sleep at all. Morning: what's that? Oh, you mean that part of the night when it starts getting light again
I had a job in college cooking breakfast in the student union. This required me to leave the house at 5:45 a.m. And I CLEARLY remember sitting on the edge of my bed and crying in the mornings.
Now, though, I feel best when I start my day by seven. Lucky for me, I have a husband who brings me coffee in bed every morning to help that happen...
I always have a hard time pegging myself because I'm not really a morning person but I am not a night owl either. My perfect cycle would be from 10:30 PM to 7:00 AM. Great post!
Hate to tell you this, I am a morning person through and through. Even when I was a teen a sleep in would be 9.00am. I LOVE getting up early in the morning so much. These days I get up around 5.30, 6 if I'm sleeping in!!
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